Results 17,961-17,980 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (11 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure including the provision of bus shelters and bus stops. Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (11 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA), in conjunction with Bus Éireann, and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is absolutely right that we should not simply rest on our laurels or wait for the national broadband plan and not do anything else. There are large areas in other parts of the country not in the intervention area and we have to have an eye on them. Competition does help here, particularly where a technology evolves. There may be innovation occurring in fixed wireless or other...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I fully agree that there are developments in fixed wireless and other non-fibre based solutions but that is what we have gone for with the national broadband plan. It is largely fibre based. I remember talking to the engineers around the configuration of that. They found it was optimal in terms of meeting the needs of the national broadband plan. There was not a blind spot ruling out...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Warmer Homes Scheme (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Of the 107 jobs there are approximately 50 within my Department, primarily in the energy sections. There are so many different projects going on at such a scale we find that we need additional resources. It is about the ability of the State to deliver but sometimes we meet a constraint. Fifty-seven will be in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. It is an independent public agency...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Post Office Network (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The importance of the post office network has been clearly demonstrated during the pandemic. We have seen a range of initiatives carried out through our post offices which have helped to support local communities, the elderly and vulnerable. However, the serious decline in the volume of mail and the impact of Covid-19 on footfall through post offices has had a severe impact on the postal...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Post Office Network (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Government has continued to look at this matter. Today, we announced a series of further Covid-related payments, in this case to the aviation industry because it is in real trouble. I would not rule out whatever further measures that the Government might have to consider. The Deputy is right when he says that the 25% reduction in footfall is a real issue. An additional cost of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Post Office Network (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I join the Deputy in thanking the workers in the post offices for the really good work they have done throughout the year in this Covid-19 crisis. The Deputy mentioned European examples which we will look at. I should also mention, further to our previous discussion, that An Post availed of a European Investment Bank loan of approximately €40 million as part of its strategic...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I remember the Topical Issue matter. I hope to get the placenames right in this case, rather than including west Kildare in my east Kildare line-up. My response is similar to the one I gave earlier in response to a Topical Issue matter. The national broadband plan, NBP, intervention areas are set out as those areas that cannot be met by targeted commercial operators. Premises in the amber...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Electric Vehicles (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I will start by replying to Deputy Aindrias Moynihan. As it happens, I had a meeting with Cork County Council last week on the issue of sustainable travel in general. I take every chance I get to encourage local authorities to make an application for funding and look to develop their infrastructure. The benefits, as I see it, are setting out a direction of travel. We are running a towns...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Electric Vehicles (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I have not yet responded to Deputy O'Connor, if I may briefly run over my allotted time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Electric Vehicles (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I believe that the future will be all electric. Certain other players, including the likes of Toyota, would say that hybrid cars have a real advantage. Toyota would say that a hybrid vehicle is running on electricity 80% of the time, taking the energy from the brakes, and that there is efficiency because there is a large number of cars for the amount of battery power required. The reason I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Electric Vehicles (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: I mentioned the problem of the distribution grid. When we are using heat pumps as well as electric vehicles, probably the biggest engineering and technical challenge is how do we do that in an urban area. We will not have that problem in one-off houses in rural Ireland because cars can be charged right outside the door of the house. That vehicle and a heat pump can be managed. There will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Landfill Sites (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: In the year to date, funding of almost €3.4 million has been provided through the landfill remediation programme for the project at Kerdiffstown. It is expected that further funding in the region of €2 million will be drawn down by Kildare County Council by the end of this year. Following the completion of the 2021 Estimates process last month, I expect to be in a position...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Landfill Sites (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: It is a sad tale but I hope it is one that has a somewhat better ending, as the Deputy says. It was a quarry, dating back to the 1950s. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, issued a waste licence. A revised licence was issued in 2006 but the EPA then had to take court action in 2009 because there was significant odour pollution at the site. The EPA found that the site was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Data Centres (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: Every industry will have to operate within the planning framework where we go to net zero emissions by 2050 and 50% reduction in the next ten years. A key to that will be energy efficiency. We focus all the time on the generation side but efficiency is vital. Looking at the use of electricity across a range of different sectors, we have seen significant growth of our economy without a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Data Centres (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: We are starting an energy security review. It is looking at the wider context in terms of gas networks and so on but when one starts looking at it, one realises that to have a full review one has to see the full picture and that includes demand, which includes these operations and others. It is an important part of our economy. As the Deputy said, the data centres themselves are relatively...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Electric Vehicles (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle charging network over the coming years. We have committed €10 million from the climate action fund to promote the charging network and this has leveraged a further €10 million investment from ESB. This intervention will result in 90 additional high-power chargers,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: If Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan does not mind, I would like to also respond to what was said earlier by the Ceann Comhairle during a debate on a Topical Issue matter because the case he made is proper and important. We represent our constituents and at this moment in crisis, when people are dependent on these services, for them not to be able to get a response from the companies providing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (10 Nov 2020)

Eamon Ryan: At the Estimates committee meeting last week, a number of Deputies echoed Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan's comments by making the point that access to information, particularly in regard to roll-out plans, will be a key issue. I reverted to my Department during the week and we agreed that we need to look again at how we map out some of the work that is going to be done. It is hard at the...